ISA Vice-President Debbie Beacham to be Inducted in the Surfing Walk of Fame, Huntington Beach

La Jolla, California, August 3, 2011- The International Surfing Association is proud to announce that its newest Vice-President, Debbie Beacham, will be inducted tomorrow, Thursday, August 4, into the Surfing Walk of Fame, Huntington Beach as the 2011 Woman of the Year.

Ms. Beacham was a standout surfer in national and international events in the 1970s, the 1982 Professional World Champion and Surfer (Magazine) Readers Poll Award Winner in the same year. As one of the most important leaders behind the creation and development of Women’s Pro Surfing, Ms. Beacham will be given a well-deserved space on the prestigious Surfing Walk of Fame.

“I am thrilled to be included in this year’s induction. It is an amazing list of watermen and women, and I am honored to be counted among them,” said Ms. Beacham. “Watching the women’s competitions this year has been really amazing. There are lots of big explosive maneuvers, with smooth and confident surfing. All of the positive support from the sponsors of the events and the girls’ individual sponsors is really encouraging to see, and is something that we worked so hard to establish in our era.”

“I would like to dedicate this recognition to my entire family. They have always been behind everything that I love about surfing. From the early days learning to surf with my Dad and my parents’ support to follow my surfing path, and now my husband Louis and all my kids are with me enjoying surfing and traveling.”

Commenting on Ms. Beacham’s recognition, ISA President, Fernando Aguerre said, “It is an honor for the ISA to have such a recognized surfer as Debbie on its Executive Committee. She has spent a lifetime working towards a better surfing future. She totally deserves to be inducted in the Surfing Walk of Fame for all of her accomplishments as a surfer and a leader in women’s surfing around the world.”

Ms. Beacham has a long and storied history in surfing. Her accomplishments include:

The Surfing Walk of Fame 2011 Ceremony will take place this Thursday, August 4 at 10am in front of Jack’s Surfboards, across the street from the Huntington Beach Pier in Southern California.

About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA), founded in 1964, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing, StandUp Paddle (SUP) Racing and Surfing, Bodysurfing, Wakesurfing, and all other wave riding activities on any type of waves, and on flat water using wave riding equipment. The ISA crowned its first Men’s and Women’s World Champions in 1964. It crowned the first Big Wave World Champion in 1965; World Junior Champion in 1980; World Kneeboard Champions in 1982; World Longboard Surfing and World Bodyboard Champions in 1988; World Tandem Surfing Champions in 2006; World Masters Champions in 2007; and World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Champions in 2012.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 100 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro. The ISA’s four Vice-Presidents are Karín Sierralta (PER), Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), Casper Steinfath (DEN) and Barbara Kendall (NZL).